Compton, William (courtier)

[willisj618]

<br><br>William Compton (eng. William Compton; circa 1482 – June 30, 1528) – English nobleman, courtier of King Henry VIII. He participated in the war with France, was the sheriff of a number of counties and the chancellor of Ireland, thanks to his friendship with the monarch, he became a wealthy landowner.<br>Biography<br>William Compton was of a knightly family and was the son of Edmund Compton of Compton in Warwickshire and his wife Joan Aylworth. He was born around 1482. After the death of his father in 1493, the young Compton was placed under the tutelage of the crown and became the page of the Duke of York Henry, the second son of King Henry VII. Despite the roughly nine-year age difference, the prince and the page became close friends. Since the eldest son of Henry VII died during his father’s life, the Duke of York in 1509 became king of England under the name Henry VIII… This was the beginning of the rise of Compton. William was promoted to chamberlain of the chair, which ensured the maximum closeness to the person of the monarch, later became manager of a number of crown estates, constable of Sadley, Gloucester and Warwick castles, sheriff of Hampshire (1512-1513), sheriff of Somerset and Dorset (1513-1514). On February 4, 1513, he was appointed master of ceremonies with black mace at Windsor Castle, in 1516 – sheriff of Worcestershire for life.<br><br>Compton took part in the French campaign of 1513 (according to Edward Hall, he commanded the rearguard) and was among forty-five nobles who were awarded the knighthood for merits in this campaign; initiation took place on the Tour on September 25th. On November 6, 1513, Sir William received the post of Chancellor of Ireland with the right to act through the governor, but already on March 24, 1516, this position passed to the Archbishop of Dublin. Compton accompanied the king to the continent in 1520 to meet with King Francis I of France at the Field of Gold Brocade and with Emperor Charles V at Gravelines. In 1523 he served on the Scottish frontier under Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey, and this seems to be the only time Compton was away from court. It was rumored that Cardinal Wolsey had gotten him north, hoping to take advantage of Compton’s absence to tarnish his name in the eyes of the king.<br><br>Sir William died on June 30, 1528 from prickly heat. At that time, thanks to royal grants, he was very rich: the inheritance included land in eighteen counties.<br>Family<br>It is known that after 1513 Compton sought permission to marry Margaret, Countess of Salisbury, the last representative of the York dynasty, daughter of George Clarence, cousin of Henry VIII. This marriage was not approved and Sir William later married Verburg, daughter and heiress of Sir John Brereton and widow of Sir Francis Cheney. After the death of his wife, he entered into a second marriage – with Elizabeth Stonor, daughter of Sir Walter Stonor and Anne Foliot, later the wife of Walter Walsh and Hobie.<br><br>William had only one son from his first marriage, Peter. The latter’s son, Henry, became Baron of Compton under Elizabeth, and his grandson, William, under James I became the Earl of Northampton.<br>In culture<br>Portraits of Compton adorn Compton Hall and Balliol College, Oxford. Sir William became a character in the novel by Philip Gregory „The Eternal Princess”, the television series „The Tudors” (played there by Kristen Holden-Reed) and „The Spanish Princess” (as Compton Luke Mullins).<br>

[投稿者]

投稿